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Doesn’t the Astrazeneca vaccine work well enough in people over 65? This claim is in the room. The company does not confirm the statements – and cites a study.
British pharmaceutical manufacturer Astrazeneca is battling reports that its corona vaccine is poorly protective of older people. Reports that the drug was only 8 percent effective in people over 65 were “completely wrong,” a spokesperson said Tuesday morning. The “Handelsblatt” had previously reported on the low level of protection among older people and referred to the German coalition groups. The newspaper “Bild” also reported on it.
Astrazeneca noted, among other things, that the British Medicines Agency (MHRA) emergency approval includes the elderly. A vaccination advisory committee also supported the use of the vaccine in older people. Additionally, a study published in the “Lancet” magazine in November showed that the vaccine also triggers a strong immune response in older people. However, a later publication by “Lancet” also states that due to the low number of cases in the crucial clinical study, there is still little data on its effectiveness in older people.
Spahn: Don’t speculate
Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) does not want to participate in speculation about a supposed poorer effectiveness of the vaccine in people older than 65 years. I wanted to wait until the data from the studies had been evaluated. “I think little of making it speculatively in the headlines,” Spahn told ZDF “Morgenmagazin” on Tuesday. He said a decision will be made next week based on scientific evidence “which age groups will be vaccinated first with this vaccine.”
Older people are vaccinated with priority in Germany, as well as in Great Britain and other countries because they are at particularly high risk of suffering from severe courses of Covid-19. Therefore, it is important that a vaccine also protects the elderly well.
The Astrazeneca vaccine was expected to be approved in the EU on Friday and is already widely used in the UK. Recently there was a dispute because Astrazeneca initially wants to deliver fewer vaccines to the EU than promised.
